Shockwave vs Moonracer
Martian Lake Contrasting dramatically with the surrounding red dust and rock is a small, deep blue lake. An experiment in terraforming, small bits of algae drift in the water, the beginning of grafting vibrant Terran life onto the dead planet. Strange machines line the lake, cleaning and filtering the water, doing artificially what is done by Nature on Earth. Obvious exits: Cavern leads to Interstellar Cavern. South leads to Promontory Point, Mars. Moonracer comes into the area around the lake from the south. Moonracer has arrived. Moonracer has been in her sniper's nest overlooking several Decepticon forward positions for almost a day. Aside from Decepticons in the area at all, nothing special has happened. From the concealment of her small tent, constructed from unstable molecules designed to blend into her surroundings, Moonracer sighs. She's not a fan of leaving Cybertron, but duty calls. "...scans through Sigma to Iota," Shockwave announces. "Initiate computer link-up to headquarters." He and a team of Decepticon scientists are visiting the Martian Lake, about fifty miles away from the Earth Defence Command base they demolished a few days ago. The lake is a bizarre sight of sparkling blue against the dull red terrain, having been partly terriformed as an experiment by NASA and the ESA. Shockwave and his team are spread out, each installing odd sensor-drills into the ground at various points around the lake. Aside from Shockwave, who is overseeing the work, none of the scientists look like fighters. They're all of varying Cybertronian and Earth designs. There's six sensors total, and two mechs are at each. "Almost done over here, Shockwave," one of them announces. Shifting her position, Moonracer points her high powered rifle towards the lake, spotting a team of Decepticons through her scope...Several groups, in fact. Are those drills? What do the Decepticons want on Mars? And then, Moonracer spots a Decepticon that makes her circuits sizzle. Shockwave. She's got the purple behemoth in her sights...But what is he doing? Shockwave is seemingly entirely unaware of the sights being laid on him. It's carelessness, pure and simple. Sixty years ago he never would have been out in public without precautions against Elita One's band of terrorists. The Cybertronian Commander steps away from his current position up to one of the drill-sensors. His head is momentarily obscured by the sensor. One of the scientists there, a green mech with a large circular device on his back, stands up. "Check out these readings, Commander." Shockwave kneels, obscuring his form even more, as he examines the small console on the side of the sensor-drill. "Do you think the humans were aware of the potential here?" he asks the scientist, who shrugs. "Maybe, but fleshlings aren't as energy dependent as we are. Possible they just never got around to tapping it." "What are you up to?" Moonracer finds her doing this often: speaking to the target she's observing, though they won't hear her. Nate Briar crackles over the com as she phases in her ammo box, loading the rifle with several explosive charges. One can't be too careful. She traces the trigger of the rifle lightly, the crosshairs on Shockwave's yellow eye. "One shot... But not today." Shockwave stands back up, presenting himself as a target again. "Very well. Send word to Geo and have an excavation team sent out to begin setting up a geothermic energy convertor." The scientist salutes, and Shockwave steps away from the sensor, heading to one of the others. The Decepticons are hard at work, clearly looking for something. Time for some answers. Moonracer quickly folds her rifle down and transforms, zipping down the canyon and unfolding into robot mode behind a rocky structure much closer to the Decepticons. She phases in a small camera, and carefully places it beside her hiding spot, adjusting as she watches the small monitor to keep Shockwave on camera. The green scientist with the circular decoration on his back raises his hand and presses it against his ear, "Deep Scan to HQ. We have confirmation on geothermic energy readings. Shockwave requests an excavating team. See if you can't get a Constructicon or two to come along." There's a pause while Deep Scan listens to the mech on the other end. "Copy that. I'm glad too. Deep Scan out." Severing the link, the other scientist paired with Deep Scan stands up fully from where he was making sure the base of the sensor-drill was installed right. "Hey, hear about the new S-28 coming out?" he asks, shifting into idle chit-chat mode. Either are aware of the light green and white Transformer sneaking down the hill towards them. Shockwave meanwhile has reached a different sensor-drill station and is chatting with the technicians there. He's a fair ways off and can't be heard anymore. Moonracer rolls her optics. The S-28. SO last cycle. As Moonracer records the scene, she eyes her escape routes. None of them look great, but this footage has got to get back to Nate Briar...Why haven't the Transformers invented live streaming yet? She hears them before she can see them. A Seeker unit. Moonracer curses silently- she's not in the best hiding spot...She'll just have to hope for some luck...Just a little more footage... Deep Scan grins, looking back at his partner, "We're getting a nwe shipment in next week." "No..." "Signed the order myself." "Well what do I have to do to get one?" the second scientist asks. They both seem pretty happy with the S-28, so maybe Moonracer is just elitist. At the sound of incoming Seekers, both scientists look up, "That was fast. Guess they just redirected a patrol our way." "No Constructicons, then?" "No Constructicons." Shockwave is also aware of the incoming Seekers, and is stepping back towards the first group's position. The three Seekers--Tetrajet, F-15, and an F-16, can be seen screaming in from the horizon. Their direction suggests they came in from somewhere other than the EDC base the Decepticons took over. They're going to pass right over Moonracer's position if she's not careful. This is going to be close. Moonracer zooms in on one of the drill sensors, glancing between the monitor and the Seekers...just a few more seconds...And she's off: Moonracer sprints from her hiding spot, transforming into car mode- she's got no hopes for stealth. It's time for a little speed...and a lot of luck. Moonracer flips into car mode, revs her engine, and blames Powerglide. "Huh?" the scientist next to Deep Scan says as suddenly Moonracer bursts from her heading spot, transforms, and zooms away. Deep Scan reacts instantly, transforming into Satellite Dish mode. "Autobot spy!" he calls out. The dish slowly rotates, making a ~ping~ noise with each full rotation. "Got her location and trajectory!" Shockwave similarly reacts quickly, raising his arms and transforming into laser gun mode. "You three, you're with me!" The three Seekers fall on his wing as the four Decepticons chase after Moonracer away from the lake and up the canyon, hoping the rugged terrain slows her down. The F-16 on his right guns its engines, but stays in formation. "Got a lock, Commander. Orders?" "Fire," Shockwave orders without hesitation. Shockwave recognizes the femme as one of the prominent terrorists who harassed him for millions of years. There's a soft 'beeeeeeeep' from the Seeker's cockpit before he releases the missile. The missile, leaving a thick trail of smoke behind it, corkscrews down towards the speeding race car. Shockwave's legs combine as his back unfolds. A wide, silver barrel appears out of subspace and connects to his arms, completing his transformation into ray gun mode. Alarms kick in as one of the Seekers locks on and fires...Moonracer guns it, hoping her Mars terrain retrofitted tires can handle the speed...The missile explodes a bit behind her. 'Racer feels the heat of the explosion, but there's no looking back. If she can make it to the canyons, she can lose the pursuit... "A wise guy, eh?" The F-16 snickers. For him, this is like shooting Sharkticons in a barrel. They can just keep shooting until the target finally runs out of luck and perishes. With Deep Scan giving them the overlay of the land, the F-15 and Tetrajet zoom forward ahead of Shockwave and the F-16, "You idiot, let us show you how it's done." The pair kick in their afterburners, sneaking up faster and faster as they close the gap. Their wing lasers speak, firing a barrage of hot pink death towards the car. Moonracer has a lot of places she could potentially escape to. Premontory Point is relatively flat and has limited cover, but the terrain would be more amiable for his alt mode. The cavern on the other hand, leads to the unknown. Members of channel are: Airwolf, Dead End, Fortress Maximus, Fusillade, Galvatron, Geo, Pinkshift, Rodimus Prime, Shockwave, Sixshot, Slugfest, Victory Leo Cybertronian Car opts to focus on driving and not shooting- on Cybertron she would have made these guys her bitchbots, but on this terrain and this gravity? Moonracer isn't quite as sure. She curses as the strafing begins, detouring towards the caverns under the red planet's mountains... <> Deep Scan reports from back at the Martian Lake, <> <> the F-15 laughs, <> he shrieks. There's continued muzzle flashes from under his wings as he sprays and prays. Shockwave meanwhile, is not the fastest mech here in laser gun mode, but he's by far the most powerful. He sees one of the caverns up ahead. It's the closest one, and probably where Moonracer is trying to escape to. The gun quickly routes power to the main weapon before firing a potent blast at the race car. If she escapes this, then they'll have to kill her the hard way. A flash of light. That's all Moonracer sees before she's in the sky, twisting out of control in her robot mode. Shockwave. It had to be. But then, he missed, didn't he? Moonracer hits the ground rolling, hoping that the massive amount of red dust and smoke thrown up from the blast will serve to her advantage, transforms, and guns it. The caverns. The caverns are safe. Moonracer makes her way slowly downward into the cavern. Moonracer has left. You carefully make your way down the steep rocky cavern entrance into a rather gloriously lit cavern. Interstellar Cavern No, this cavern doesn't fly around the galaxy. But its name refers to the long-since destroyed alien interstellar vessel which is buried inside it. Contents: Cybertronian Car Mars Sensor 5 Obvious exits: Opening leads to Martian Lake. Moonracer snaps into robot mode, pistols in hand, and makes sure Powerglide isn't nearby. Moonracer sprints into the cave, not looking back until she's deep under the mountain. She finds herself in a massive cavern, spotting a promising looking nest at the opposite end...perfect. She transforms, covering the distance quickly, and climbs the sharp incline of the far wall, climbing into a nook of a space in the wall, which Moonracer is happy to find has several possible exits...All in complete darkness, but escape routes all the same. Unfolding her sniper rifle, the scout settles in and waits. <> Deep Scan reports once Moonracer escapes into the cavern. <> Shockwave and the three Seekers transform and touch down at the mouth of the cave. Fortunately, the cavern is huge in size but small in branching tunnels. Only one way for the little witch to go. "Mooooooonracer!" the F-16 shouts, causing his voice to echo throughout the cavern. "We're commmmming for you!" The other two laugh, but Shockwave emits, "Focus on finding the terrorist. Fail me, and you should hope she finishes you off." The foursome enter the huge cavern with the Seekers first. It's pitch dark in here, so the three Seekers activate their optic-mounted flashlights, illuminating whatever they happen to be staring directly at. The Moira sized hall Moonracer has camped out in only allows the faintest of calling to be heard, but she knows what it is. Only a matter of time, now. She calmly loads her rifle, adjusts the settings on the scope and focuses on the entrance of the cavern. She can see the lights through the opening, and rests a finger on the trigger. The three thugs continue to advance in, weapons drawn and at the ready. Shockwave's threat forces them to not screw around. With their optics shining, they make for obvious targets. But on the plus side for them, they do have a chance of spotting Moonracer now rather than if it were still pitch dark. "What is this place?" the Tetrajet mutters, "Didn't know Mars had any geological functions like this." Shockwave concurs, but doesn't say so. Instead he hangs back, standing still and sending a radar ping outwards, listening for the echo that's silent to most. He's finding uot the exact dimensions of this cavern and deducing the logical sniper spots. Suddenly, there's a muzzle flash that briefly illuminates half the cavern, followed by a laser burst that annihilates a rocky outcropping. "Blast it!" the F-16 shouts. "I could have sworn I saw something move over there!" As quickly as the F-16 announces he saw something move, he falls backwards, a smoking hole in his head. Moonracer reloads quickly, and trains her rifle on the Tetrajet, squeezing the trigger. Whether he fell she's not sure- the sniper phases her rifle out of subspace and moves quickly and calmly across the ridge, staying low, to a new location. The Tetrajet rushes over to his fallen friend. "Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot," he mutters unironically, kneeling and trying to figure out his injuries. The Decepticon pulls out a small medical kit, apparently having some training. The remaining Seeker's optics go wide, suddenly realizing that he's the last Seeker here. Glancing around frantically, the beams of light from his optics dart around the cavern rapidly, desperate to find Moonracer. It probably won't matter, though, because Shockwave has mapped out the area, located the two best sniping nests in the area, and corroborated it with the soft pitter patter of Autobot feet as they dart from the first nest across the ridge to the next. There's a brief but powerful build-up in Shockwave's arm cannon before he takes aim and fires, causing the wall behind Moonracer to shatter and send razor sharp rocks and debris flying in all directions. Moonracer curses as she loses her footing and is sent crashing to the floor below. It's a long drop and she lands best she can, and goes with her gut: Let's doing something a little different. Moonracer flips into her car mode and floors her, shining white brights from her headlights against Shockwave, and opening fire with duel turrets! If she can just get past them... Moonracer flips into car mode, revs her engine, and blames Powerglide. Combat: Cybertronian Car strikes Laser Gun with her Twin gats! (Laser) attack! Combat: Cybertronian Car (Moonracer) used "Laser": A Level 2 RANGED attack. Combat: You took 6 damage. Combat: Removed restrictions on CORRUPT for your attacks. Moonracer A sporty, sleak Cybertronian car! I'm going with this look: http://www.flickr.com/photos/floatingcat/6157499301/lightbox/ Laser Gun feels the light shining on him a split second after his shot connected. He doesn't waver, standing his ground as he blocks the exit from Moonracer. Presenting his side to Moonracer even as she blasts him with a barrage of lasers, Shockwave takes steady aim with his arm cannon and fires again. The cavern is briefly awash in purple light from the shot. The F-15 meanwhile dives out of the way to avoid getting run down by the futuristic car. Shockwave, however, does not. You want to escape, you're going to have to go straight through him. Shockwave's handle separates into legs as his barrel does into arms. Straightening out, he completes his transformation into robot mode. Combat: Shockwave misses Cybertronian Car with his Arm Cannon Blast attack! -2 Combat: Drained 23 energon. "HA! Something's never change- you can't shoot for shit, Shockwave!" The green and white car blasts back Shockwave and the remaining seeker, back into the smaller caverns. Towards the entrance. Towards safety. This footage *has* to be put in the hands of the Autobots. Combat: Temporarily restricting the CORRUPT effect from all of your attacks. Shockwave ignores the comment, as he always has. His efforts in thwarting the repeated terrorist attempts to overthrow him during the Dark Ages are well documented. Shockwave keeps his arm cannon trained on Moonracer, tracking her even as she dives down another cavern and streaks towards the entrance. He shifts his aim at the entrance itself, ready to blast her once she makes her final beeline for safety. The F-15 is still slowly getting up from when he dove to safety. If she gets out, that's the ballgame. Combat: Removed restrictions on CORRUPT for your attacks. Combat: Shockwave misses Cybertronian Car with his Arm Cannon Blast attack! -3 Combat: Drained 20 energon. The room glows purple. There's no time to react. No time to defend. It's about luck now, and Moonracer's holds out, the cavern entrance exploding with flame and purple energy, with the Autobot flying out like an X Wing out of a Death Star. Moonracer guns it towards the caverns. She's done it. Shockwave holds his arm cannon aloft, still smoking from the two powerful blasts that failed to eradicate Moonracer. He does not get upset. He merely calculates what this means for the Empire. Additional guards, defensive measures, and advance warning systems for the eventual geothermic power station that'll be put up at the Martian Lake. So be it. "Get him on his feet. We are leaving," Shockwave announces to the two undamaged Seekers. Decepticon Message: 2/35 Posted Author Martian Lake: Geothermic Energy Sun Apr 01 Shockwave ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** INCOMING MESSAGE TO ALL FORCES *** Shockwave stands in front of the Martian Lake. It is an odd contrast of sparkling blue water against the dull red Martian landscape. A few Decepticon scientists and technicians are milling about in the background. Oddly, Shockwave has a few minor laser burns on his body. "Shockwave reporting. After decrypting the computer logs of the Earth Defence Command fighter base, I located a nearby sector with a substrata similar to Geo's needs for constructing geothermic energy plants. This is an early terraforming experiment conducted by the EDC, NASA, and the ESA. After further investigation, I have concluded that the area is suitable for geothermic energy development. The full scientific report has been sent to Geo for further analysis." "During our work, we located an Autobot spy watching our operation. We chased her away from the site, but she may be aware of our plans in the area. Additional security precautions will be required for any future development. Shockwave out."